The most successful businesses are those with confidence in their ability to store, access and use data effectively. Rather than focusing on the nuts and bolts of storage, this view point looks at the data it holds and more importantly, what can be done with it.

This review looks at why small businesses need to stop being complacent about their networks and at what they can do to maintain their competitive edge as they follow the big boys down the route of increasing collaboration and other bandwidth-hungry applications likely to impact on network performance and availability.

Google brings Map Maker tool to UK with Bletchley Park update

Brits now able to add details on their areas

Google has provided its Map Maker tool to Britons enabling them to improve the detail on specific locations, such as Bletchley Park.

The tool allows users to add details of specific areas, providing more comprehensive run down on the location of shops, pubs, restaurants, landmarks and historical interest sights, built into Google’s popular Maps tool.

Bletchley Park has already taken advantage of the tool to build out an extensive overview of the site with details on key locations and points of interest (see below for comparison between the before and after of the site on Google Maps).

Mavuri said that currently 40,000 people worldwide are using the Map Maker tool to help build out the firm’s service, and with the UK now onboard Google is hoping more information on famous sites around the country will soon start appearing.

“Drawing from your knowledge about world famous tourist destinations or the streets of your hometown, you can now use Google Map Maker to make the map of the United Kingdom (along with Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey) more comprehensive and accurate than ever before,” he said.

“Once approved, these improvements will appear across Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Maps for Mobile.”

The launch of the Map Maker service in the UK further underlines Google’s desire to maintain its lead in the mapping market, as rival Apple continues to struggle to overturn perceptions on its maps tool, after the disastrous launch of the service on iOS 6 last year.